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A Classic Name

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First/Middle Names

Kate

The name Kate peaked for boys at #1228 in 1902. Kate is also used for girls, ranking #535 in 2024.

The name Kate is a girl's name of English origin meaning "pure".

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Kate, in the headlines via Catherine Middleton aka the Princess of Wales, has been as pervasive as Kathy was in the 1950s and 1960s, both as a nickname for Katherine and Kaitlyn and as a strong, classic stand-alone name. 
 
Deriving from the classic Katherine, Kate has been used since the Middle Ages. It might have emerged from one of the possible Greek origins of the name, Aikaterine, to get that longer 'A' sound. 
 
Kate has an image that's independent, smart, and energetic, recalling Kate Hepburn, the heroine of The Taming of the Shrew/Kiss Me Kate, and contemporary Kates: Winslet, Hudson, Moss, Spade and Beckinsale. Cate Blanchett has helped popularize an alternative spelling of the name, while Kate Sheppard was a prominent member of the New Zealand suffrage movement and played a key role in making New Zealand the first country to allow women to vote in parliamentary elections. 
 Kate is also the female equivalent of Jack as a favorite character name in the movies, TV, and books. It's down-to-earth yet classy, common yet cool.
 Kate has always been, and remains, mega popular in Ireland, where it ranks in the Top 100, and more recently, it has found favor in Latvia and The Netherlands. Elsewhere, however, it has declined in use since its moment in the 90s and 2000s. In England and Wales, Kitty, Katie, and Caitlyn are now preferred, while Kate is out of the Top 1000. In the US, it was still given to around 570 girls in a recent year, but is on a downward trend.

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The name Kate is currently ranked #535 in U.S. births. and peaked for girls at #79 in 1880. The name is most popular in KATE, KATE, and KATE. Kate is occasionally used for boys in 2005.

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